The Story of Madge
by three-golden-mockingjays
Summary: From the night of the bombing to dancing with soldiers on leave in a nightclub, this is the story of Madge.
1. The Story of War

Madge locked herself in the basement the night District 12 was destroyed, under instruction from her father. She brought down her bedding, wrapped up around her small frame, and listened to the bombs raining down on her city. She felt like a girl out of one of her books, telling of wars before the dark days, the London Blitz of WW2, but in this case, she wasn't in Britain. There was no army fighting to defend the women and children of District 12. Because they were all busy dying.

It was dark in there, and rather damp. Far too cold for summer. Where was her father? Her suffering mother? Maybe it would be better for her to die, and join her long dead twin at last. Her dad had promised he would come join her, but when she heard the loudest explosion yet, and felt the impact on her little underground sanctuary, she knew that the house was gone, and so was everything in it.

That was the story of how Madge became an orphan.

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When Madge finally left her cellar, after forty-eight hours of almost constant bombing, she was greeted by the ghost of a town. Everything was black, no, not black. Black was a severe colour, it spoke of the night and the deepest depths of darkness. Black was when you hid your head under the covers to block everything out. This wasn't black. This was grey.

Grey everywhere. Grey everything. She let out a strangled sob as she looked around. The bakery was gone. It was plain to see that no-one had survived that bomb, the (mostly) gentle Mellarks were gone. Gone into the grey. She observed the row of houses that had made up the Seam, completely obliterated, and she tried very hard not to think of Gale Hawthorne. When she turned around and saw her house, the pain that went through her was indescribable. Though her dad had spent almost all his time working, it didn't mean those spare moments weren't cherished by his lonely daughter. Her mother had been close to mute, and almost constantly bed bound as far as Madge could remember, but it didn't mean that Madge didn't miss those one-way conversations.

But all of a sudden she heard a series of marching footsteps, and knew that the Capitol was advancing on her tiny town, to wipe out any survivors. Madge almost laughed, it was all so pointless. Then she remembered that she was one of the people they were trying to eradicate, and ran.

It didn't take her long to find a train that had stopped for refuelling, and she was so numb with pain she didn't think twice about slipping into one of the carriages, not even caring that she lay on a bed of coal, rendering her white pyjamas a dusty black.

Better than grey, she decided.

And that was the story of how Madge left her hometown.

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Madge's first impression of District 2 was that it was far too bright. Of course, having just woken up, she didn't know she was in District 2, and light was rather shocking after spending a day and night in a train carriage full of coal without so much as a ray of sunlight to keep her company in the darkness.

After blinking rather bemusedly for a bit, Madge registered why there was sunlight streaming into her previously darkened carriage. A young man, no older than twenty, was standing in front of her, looking rather confused, having just flung open the door. Madge screamed, and the boy looked even more confused.

When she finally calmed down, she asked, "You're not going to shoot me?" The boy laughed, "Do you see a gun? I hardly look like a Capitol soldier, personally." Madge couldn't bear to pull a smile, but asked, "Well then what are you doing here?" The boy looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Stealing some coal while this monster of a train refuels." "Right," Madge said, "Where am I?" "District 2 train station, about 100 metres from the Victor's Village, if you want to give those murderous psychos a visit." Madge grimaced, "No thanks."

Madge got gingerly out of the carriage, very sore due to the less than desirable sleeping conditions. "I know somewhere you can stay," the boy said, "If you're interested, that is." Madge looked at him warily, and he laughed at her expression, "I'm not inviting you to stay with me dumbass. I know I scare you. But my two cousins have a little flat, moved out of their house after fighting with their parents. They're both girls, one's sixteen, the other's twenty-two. Their sister Clove, died in the 74th Hunger Games, but you'd never know it from their optimism. They're brilliant girls, lots of fun, and… there they are!" Before Madge could dodge away and hide, the boy was hollering, "Arabella! Kaisha!"

Two girls whipped around, one with blonde hair, one with a long braid of chestnut hair. "Hey Billy," the older one, the blonde, said with a smile, "This your new girlfriend? What did you do to her? If you took her to the slag heap I swear to God…" Billy laughed, "No, this is…" "Madge," Madge supplied timidly. Billy smiled gently at her, "Yes, Madge. I was off trying to steal some coal for the fire tonight, but I found her instead." "Bargain," the younger one with the chestnut hair said jokingly, and Billy and the blonde's mouths both twitched into a smile, "I'm Kaisha," the chestnut haired girl went on, holding her hand out to shake, "Nice to meet you Madge."

"Nice to meet you too," Madge mumbled, hoping that no-one would ask about her past. She doubted she could find the words. After much discussion on Billy's behalf, the girls understood all that Billy knew or guessed about Madge's current situation, and were happy to take her in. "You from District 12?" Arabella asked her, and Madge nodded. Taking this as a sign Madge didn't want to talk, Arabella decided to focus on walking, and supplying Madge with blankets and a trundle bed when she arrived in the small flat.

And that was the story of how Madge moved in with Clove's two sisters.

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"District 2 has declared war with the Capitol!" Madge groaned loudly as the announcement came on through the beat up wireless that was sitting on the kitchen table of the small flat she had grown to call home. Arabella went white and stopped stirring dinner promptly, her hand frozen. Kaisha pricked her finger with her needle as she too froze, and burst into noisy tears. "Oh, come here," Arabella held her younger sister in her arms, and motioned for Madge to turn up the radio so she could hear the war announcements over Kaisha's crying. "All men from nineteen to twenty-three will be made to join the rebel army in a fight to defend our freedom!"

Madge flicked on the old, chunky TV as Arabella too, began to cry, and wasn't all to surprised to see Katniss on again. She'd been watching the movements of the war closely, and wasn't even surprised when war was announced. She was just surprised it didn't happen earlier. "Hey Kat," she said miserably, as the TV slipped in and out of static, "Who'd have guessed where we'd end up?"

A few days later, it was time for the District 2 boys to go. Arabella persuaded the girls to put on something 'cheerful' to see them off with the rest of District 2. So Madge, Kaisha and Arabella went down in a yellow skirt, dress and shirt respectively, and joined the other citizens of District 2 in lining the main road, which apparently went in a straight line right through the length of District 2. Madge thought it was a bit cruel to make them whole way in all their farewells, but she supposed that these were the boys who had trained for the Hunger Games just a few years previously.

And so they came, in air force blue and army brown, looking completely dashing in their uniform, but the situation was just too horrible to even pay attention to that. Some marched proudly. These were the Academy boys, the ones who had excelled, but never ended up going into the Games. If they had, Madge doubted they would seem this excited about going off to kill people. Some walked like puppets, knowing they could very well be marching towards their doom, but doggedly persisting in their efforts to seem happy and proud. And some were scared. Some of them didn't want to die, and showed it. Madge's heart ached for those boys, for all of them, but those boys with frightened eyes and trembling chins the most. They were only boys.

The girls threw their flowers to the soldiers, or boys, (whatever they were,) as they walked past. Some flowers were snatched by the desperate hands, boys hoping for luck and love as they marched off to war. Some were missed, and trampled by hundreds of marching feet.

A hot tear rolled down Madge's cheek, and she gasped as it fell. She had forgotten she could feel. She had forgotten what emotions felt like. She had forgotten about compassion, and empathy, and all those things that made the human race unique, and beautiful.

And that was the story of the moment Madge learnt that even though they were amidst a horrible war caused by humans and all their faults, she could discover the beauty of being alive all over again.

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"I hate this," Arabella grumbled. It had been six months since District 2 had declared war against the Capitol, and rations had been officially enforced. "Seriously guys, I've been thinking," Arabella went on, and Kaisha groaned, "That's a bad sign." "Shut up," snapped Arabella, as Madge collapsed on the couch after an eight hour nursing shift. "I think we should do something for the soldiers," Arabella said, trying and failing to turn on the gas stove, muttering, "Stupid gas rations." Madge was looking in disbelief at Arabella, "Do something for the soldiers? I've been looking after dying soldiers all day!" She looked drained and exhausted, hand over her face, sinking deep into the cushions. "A different kind of helping," Arabella went on undeterred, "We're going to go raise the soldiers' morale." Kaisha looked at her older sister with her eyebrows raised, "If you are suggested we go be strippers, count me out." Arabella snorted, "No way, dumbass. I'm talking about us going down to the local pub and dancing and singing. That's where all the soldiers on leave are going, and I think they could use some cheering up. It'll be good for us workaholics, and there's no stripping required."

Neither Madge nor Kaisha, who had spent the day sewing parachutes for the air force pilots, were in the mood to go out, but Arabella wasn't one to be argued with, and insisted they needed it. She opened up the big trunk that they had been using as a seat, and found all the dresses inside. "These were our reaping dresses," Kaisha explained as Arabella took each dress out, and deemed it worthy or unfit to be worn, "But not any more. We're going to win this bloody war if it kills us, and we'll never have another reaping again."

Madge raised her eyebrows, Kaisha wasn't one for outbursts, but after that, she did find it easier to have fun, despite her overworked and rather depressed previous state. She got dressed up in a pale pink dress, and Kaisha wore blue, and Arabella a rather daring and revealing black dress. They dug out some mascara that hadn't been used since before the war, it didn't have a great consistency, but they weren't fussy. They all wore the same shade of lipstick, a bright cherry red, as it was the only one that hadn't melted during the previous summer.

And they went out to the pub. It was packed with soldiers, whose heads all turned at the sight of the girls. Some music was playing on an old radio out the front, and while the pub wasn't much to look at, it served alcohol as good as any other. Those two factors, coupled with the presence of the girls, did just as Arabella had promised and made the soldiers smile. They danced around to lively music, Madge swinging from man to man on light feet, truly smiling for the first time in ages. Since Gale had left her.

No, she didn't think about him anymore. Gale was her past. A really bad part of her past. An unfortunate occurrence. That she loved a lot.

Kaisha was singing, her usually braided hair loose, reaching halfway down her back and swinging wildly as she sung the most uplifting songs they could find on the music player. "Stay, stay, stay, I've been loving you for quite some time, time, time," she sung happily as the soldiers and girls twirled and laughed.

"Hey Madge!" Kaisha called between songs, "Could you sing one?" Madge was about to say no, but Kaisha was staring pleadingly at a stunning blonde haired air force officer, and Madge had to relent. She took the microphone, "What's playing next?" Kaisha showed her and Madge shook her head, "I can't sing this, it's a joke now!" Kaisha shrugged, "Jokes are much better than war. Have some fun with it."

So the music began to play, and Madge opened her mouth and hoped for the best, "You're insecure, don't know what for…" a cheer went up amongst the drunkest soldiers, and a big smile broke across Madge's face as the chorus began, "Baby you light up my world like nobody else!" A boy of perhaps nineteen in soldier's uniform took the second microphone and began to sing with her. A happiness like this she hadn't felt in years.

After Kaisha disappeared with her blonde pilot, Arabella took up the microphone, and sung in tones as sweetly as her sister's. Madge stepped back onto the floor for the slow song, and danced slowly with a young soldier, soft brown hair and blues eyes, who stole a kiss from her. And she didn't even care that she didn't love the boy. It was as though, that was what was meant to happen.

As Madge and her soldier turned slowly, she caught sight of Arabella's head jerking gestures aimed for her eyes, pointing out a soldier who had been sitting at the bar the whole time, and not joining in the festivities. An air force pilot came up to sing, and so Arabella took Madge's soldier off her hands, who didn't really seem to mind, and Madge cautiously walked over to the man sitting with his back to her. He wore a uniform of high ranking, and was scrawling something on a piece of paper. "Surely you have time for one dance," Madge said boldly, and the weary general (well that's what ranking she guessed him to be,) turned. His hair was the darkest black, and his eyes a stony grey. He was young, not like she had guessed him to be, from the burden resting on his shoulders. Madge gasped as she recognised the features, and he frowned, confused.

"Madge?"

"Gale?"

And that was the story of how Madge found her reason to smile again.


	2. AU, how boring but read PLEASE!

**Ok, I know the status says complete, but I have gotten quite a few reviews and decided to continue this, probably only for one or two chapters, but I hope my new ending will be a lot less dissatisfying. I love you ALL for reviewing and supporting me in a story I thought would be completely unsuccessful... you are AMAZING! I might not get the chapter up all too soon, as I have been neglecting my other stories a little, (A Silver Rising Sun and Steel Hearts, check them out if you've got nothing better to do,) and I want to give my readers at least one chapter before I sit down to write this. As I said earlier, you're all amazing and I love your support! xxxxx -L**


	3. The Story of Falling Back In Love

"Why did you leave me?" Madge asked, grabbing another drink and tipping it messily down her throat. "I don't know," Gale appeared to be much less drink, hardly slurring in his speech or trembling with his hand, but his brain didn't appear to be functioning. How could he not know why he left the girl that had meant the world to him?

"You know," Madge said drunkenly, "I don't think I should like you as much as I do. I think it's a problem." Gale poured another glass, "Well what are you going to do about that? List the things you hate about me?" "Excellent idea," Madge slammed her glass down, "Well… I hate your… eyes. They're the same grey of a bombed city." "Are they now? Well I actually don't mind your eyes. Blue's cool." Madge smirked, "Cool?" "Fine," Gale snapped, "Pretty. If that's what you prefer. While we're on the topic, I don't like your feet." "My feet?" Gale nodded, "I have an extraordinary problem with your feet. They're so goddamn quiet, you just sneak up on me. It's infuriating." "I hate your temper," Madge downed another glass, "You're always so goddamn angry all the time, I wish you'd smile more often. I love your smile." "Well," Gale paused for a moment to think of a comeback, "I hate your self control." Madge rolled her eyes, remembering even in her drunken state the moment he was referring to, "Gale, can you imagine this scene, except with a wailing baby in our arms?" Gale was silent and Madge laughed humourlessly, "I thought not."

And that was the story of Madge getting far too drunk, with a boy that made her far too confused.

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Madge was as surprised as anyone to wake up in District 2's dingiest, cheapest, and generally worst reputed hotel. Even more surprising, but strangely comforting, was Gale's presence on the bed beside her. Startled, but painfully hung-over, she slipped back into sleep, dreaming of the boy with the dark eyes and darker hair. Her dark boy.

When she awoke properly, it was due to the sound of loud swearing. Gale was sitting on the edge of the bed, bent over a small fire he had lit on the floor, cussing his head off over a burnt crisp of something that lay in his hands. "What are you doing?" Madge sat up, then quickly lay back down, her head was killing her. Gale looked slightly embarrassed to be caught, "I was trying to cook breakfast." "On a fire?" Madge pulled the blankets over her face to block out the light streaming through the window. Gale shook his head ruefully, "I don't know what you're accustomed to princess, but at the moment, there's this thing called gas rationing, where no-one can use stoves because there's no gas," Gale spoke as though to a five year old, and though Madge was thoroughly annoyed by him, the hangover was overpowering and she stayed in her nest of thin blankets.

Gale got up, abandoning the burnt bacon that he had waited all war to eat, and yanked the covers off the slim blonde girl. "Don't you have a hangover at all?" she snapped, covering her eyes with her arm, and Gale shook his head smugly, "I'm too good for hangovers." Madge grumbled ominously as she got up unsteadily, suddenly realising how thirsty she was, "Can I have some water, or is that rationed too?" Gale walked over to the tap, which was really just a pipe coming out of the wall, saying, "Well, you've still got the same horrible sense of humour as the Madge I fell in love with," he smiled as he gave her a cup. It was hard to say what was dirtier, the cup or the water inside it, but Madge drank it gratefully. "My muscles hurt," she moaned, and Gale smirked, "How much did you drink?" which of course just made Madge even more irritable.

"You're lucky I put up with you, Gale Hawthorne," Madge spat in frustration, falling back onto the bed. "Are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure you're the moody, hung-over and ungrateful one in this situation." Madge was further maddened by his cool logic and easy argument wins over her, but there wasn't much she could do as he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her off the bed, "No way are you going back to bed, the landlady will kick me out if she knows there's more than one person in the room. Unless you'd like to pay for a night's stay? You're not as rich here as you were in 12, princess." "Fine," Madge was had enough anger inside her, hearing that condescending nickname again, to stand up straight, despite her pounding and spinning head, "One second though, I think I'm going to vomit." After hanging over the window for a while, and not having anything come up, Madge gave in to Gale's frustrated pleading and snuck out with him.

"Where are we going anyway?" Madge's hangover was her first, and asides from the thousand others aches, pains and troubles, it wasn't coping well with the bright sun, "Can't we go inside?" "On a day like today?" Gale shook his head, "Not a chance." And while Madge grumbled about him sounding like her father, who she normally would have avoided thinking about, Gale gripped her hand tighter and continued to lead her away from the old hotel.

"This is where we're going," Gale said, working hard to keep his voice bright, and untying the blindfold he had placed over her eyes. They were in a clearing in the woods of District 2, so unlike those of District 12, especially on this sunny day, and Madge was finally content. "This place is pretty lovely Gale," she yawned, sinking into the grass, "But not quite as nice as you." And she fell asleep there, in the grass and the sun, under Gale's watchful eyes. Even though she spent most of the time in his company asleep, she would later look back on that day as the day she fell back in love with Gale.

And that was the story of the day Madge went exploring with the boy she loved.

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When Madge awoke, it was evening, and all her aches and pains from the previous hangover were gone. She had vague memories of being with Gale that afternoon, slipping gently in and out of sleep. But he was nowhere to be seen. She lifted her head up slowly and looked around. The only sign of Gale was a small package wrapped in newspaper with a letter resting on top of it.

_Hey Madge,_

_You've woken up now, and I'm gone. I'm hopelessly sorry about that. I hope you're not upset. I got called away, and as you read this, I'm probably still on my train on my way to District 13. Yes, it still exists, and is currently a military base. I tried to wake you before I left, but you sleep like a stone. I suppose it isn't a bad thing, as you certainly like me better when you're asleep._

_I'm sorry for leaving you Madge. I thought I was bad for you. I thought I brought you down. I thought you'd be happier without me. I wish I'd stayed. But we were together, if just for a little while. Even if you were completely hammered, it was nice to be with you. At least you smile under the influence of alcohol._

_I hope I'll be back. If I survive this goddamned war, you'll be the first person I go looking for. Wherever you go Madge, I'll find you, and make sure you know how much I love you._

_I don't really hate your feet. And I feel bad thinking of you while I'm off fighting, so I suppose it would be doubled if you were pregnant. So I guess you win that one too. If I survive this war, there will be plenty of time to let go._

_I just hope that by then, I am still worthy of your love. _

_Forever yours, Gale Hawthorne._

Madge clutched the letter tightly as she walked out of the woods, clutching the package, (which turned out to be freshly hunted game, the first real meat she had seen in months,) with her chin up, knowing that she would do all in her power to make sure both of them came out of the war alive.

And that was the story of Madge finding her strength again.

**Well there you go. You guys win - this is turning into a multi-chapter full-on story. Thanks for the support, otherwise it would be incomplete and alone. Review me, I want to do what you guys want, so advice is the best thing I can get right now. Thanks for reading, you're all brilliant :) -L**


	4. The Story of Hurt

"Donate your pots?" Madge asked with a forced cheerfulness, knocking on what seemed like the thousandth door. The old housewife wiped her hands on her apron, "You haven't told me what for."

Madge smiled bemusedly, most people had heard of the cause already, "The metal can be melted down and used to make planes for our boys in the air force."

"My son's in the air force," the woman said absent-mindedly, and as she stepped into the kitchen to grab some pots, Madge wondered if she was quite right in the head. Maybe she was just very, very sad.

"What's your son's name?" Madge asked, still with that horrible forced sweetness, as the woman tried to decide whether to donate the large pan of small pot in addition to everything else.

"Marcus Crowe," she said, handing Madge the small pot and putting the pan back onto the bench, "I like fried potatoes more than boiled ones. Not that we get many these days, with the rationing."

x

Madge tried to say thank you, but no words came out. Just two hours ago, on her nursing shift, Madge had changed the bandages of a very sick Marcus Crowe. She had told this boy not to worry, and that if no infection set in, he could be home in a few days. He had kept protesting that his mother needed him, that she would be confused without him. Confused was right, Madge thought, trying very hard not to cry.

x

Madge dumped the pots and pans into her massive basket and hoisted it into the air, resting on her head as she walked slowly through the small town, from door to door. Her neck was ready to snap when she heard, "Madge! Madge!"

She turned around to see Arabella running down the steep path from the mostly abandoned shopping strip to the valley where the small, stone houses were situated, her hair streaming behind her.

"Madge!" Arabella was slightly out of breath by the time she reached her, but managed to get out a, "There's someone in the hospital. And your name is the top of his contact list."

x

And that was the story of how Madge threw a whole basket of pots and pans down the hill, effectively losing her job, and ran to the hospital on none but the swiftest feet.

* * *

There was no mistaking that this man in the bed was Gale. The hair, the curve of his jaw, the sheer lankiness of his limbs, which made a fully grown man appear slightly like an awkward, pubescent, teenager. But there were some features that were completely changed. Some things that made him look like anyone but Gale.

x

His grey eyes, the colour Madge loved and hated, were closed, and only his heavy eyelids were visible. He could have no eyes underneath for all Madge knew. And then was the other thing that made Gale, Gale. His skin, which had been the most beautiful tanned colour, was, for the most part, blistered and torn. On his left leg, which she tried very hard not to look at, the skin hung off him like tattered pants. "What happened?"

x

Madge wasn't by the brisk and professional tone of her own voice, as she knew that this had been a habit of hers ever since she could speak. The calmer she sounded, the more she was aching inside. The nurse looked up from her box of medication, and brushed her hair out of her face. However, before the flustered girl could get a word out, Madge interrupted.

"I know you!" The nurse looked at her strangely, "I most certainly don't know you."

x

The girl put the box down, and stood up with a sigh, "I know where you recognise me from. I look a lot like my brother."

Madge gulped, "I'm sorry." Because those blue eyes, that sandy blonde hair, the straight nose, were all the features of a boy from the arena. The boy that Madge's best friend killed out of pity.

"Cato wouldn't have wanted to come home anyway," the girl said matter-of-factly, "Not without Clove. She was the only human as evil as him," she shrugged, "They needed each other. But uh, back to him," she looked at Gale meaningfully, "He's in deep shit."

x

"I asked what happened," Madge said, her voice becoming sharper, as the pain inside her became more.

"Assaulted by a bunch of Capitol spies," the girl, Cato's sister, explained, "He was apparently working on some top-secret, turn of the war military operation, to take place right here in District 2. Except he was off in District 1 when he was found. We think he was there for security, District 13 being a well known rebel base. Anyway, bunch of hand grenades, a couple of bullets, lots of fire, falling rocks. Severe burn damage, bullet wounds to let upper thigh and right shoulder and right arm. Head wounds from blunt impact - those were the falling rocks. It's a miracle he survived, but then again, I suppose it's the Mockingjay's job to save her colleagues…"

x

Madge dropped her jacket onto the floor, "Katniss rescued him?"

"Shot up the spies, called us nurses, stopped the plans from burning," Cato's sister dropped her voice, "But the real gossip is that our lovely girl on fire's gone mad. Saved the plans, but then freaked. Didn't want them to be carried through. Tried to destroy them, but someone stopped her. Rumour is that it was Haymitch Abernathy. A drunk, yes, but quite a hero, you know? He created the star-crossed lovers after all."

x

Madge tried to swallow, but couldn't get the muscles in her dry throat working. Had Katniss, her closest thing to a friend, really lost it? It was a lot to go through. "Will Gale be okay?"

x

The nurse looked at him with a deep, penetrating gaze, "The bullet wounds in his arm and shoulder don't pose any issues to us. He's been healthy, if a little malnourished, but we have semi-decent conditions in this hospital, unlike one I worked in earlier… anyway, as long as infection doesn't set in, and I doubt it will, those should be fine. I took the bullets out just before you came in actually. The bullet wound in his thigh poses more of a problem though, there's lot of blood flowing through there, and while he isn't doing too badly, he could be bleeding a whole lot less. It'll weaken him, which won't help him recover from anything else. The burns… they'll probably be the end of him, if anything is. It's a lot of skin Madge," the girl sighed, "And if he makes it, there'll be a lot of scarring. Luckily, it's hardly touched his face. He'll still be Gale."

x

Despite her words ending on a positive note, there was definitely something the nurse didn't want to say. Madge studied the girl's face intently, and ruthlessly asked, "What is it?"

The girl's hands twisted in anxiety, she couldn't be more than eighteen, "The thing we're most concerned about, in the long term that is, is the head impact. It was a big rock. Rocks to the head are never good."

x

Madge was sure that the nurse too, was thinking of girl who had gone into the Hunger Games with Cato, who died with a dent in her skull, and Cato kneeling beside her, begging her to stay with him. When both of their seemingly invincible tributes failed in the most heartbreaking games of all, the citizens of District 2 seemed unusually touched. No-one would ever forget Cato or Clove.

x

"So you mean there could be brain damage?" Madge asked flatly, looking down at her feet.

"Yes," the nurse nodded, "It could be a lot worse Miss," she reminded the now crying girl by Gale's bedside.

"Call me Madge," Madge requested in a voice thick with tears, "Do you mind if I stay the night?"

"I'll get you a chair Madge, and you can call _me_ Elina," the nurse said quietly, and left Madge at Gale's bedside, praying for a miracle.

x

And that was the story of Madge realising the pains of love.

* * *

Elina Woods wasn't surprised to see Madge asleep in her chair early the next morning. It had seemed that the girl had been determined to stay up all night, a mug of abandoned 'real coffee' (no-one knew exactly what was in that bitter tasting shit) balanced precariously against her cheek.

x

Elina picked up the coffee cup and stacked it onto her already laden tray, trying to balance it all with her chin and turning on her heel when she heard it. A small groan. She whipped around, dropping half the items off her tray, and the crash awoke Madge, who jumped up with a start.

x

But she wasn't the only one waking up.

x

"Madge? Where am I?" Gale's voice was normal as ever, his eyes were following Madge perfectly, he seemed perfectly alert, if not a little sleepy.

"I don't think we will have to worry about brain damage after all," Elina said quietly into Madge's ear with a smile, and left the two lovers alone.

x

And that was the story of Madge feeling a happiness she didn't know existed.

* * *

**That one may have sucked... I'm sorry. I did try to get it up quickly, but that kinda backfired yeah? I have had a very busy, (several tests, assignments, and even oral tests in my LOTEs, but I only have one test to go!) but we'll see how I go. By Thursday night, all my assessments will be over! *cheers* Well, review and let me know if that sucked as much as I thought it did... hehehhe. Thanks for reading! -L**


	5. The Stort of Learning to Stay

**Last chapter, ); **

**Enjoy!**

Madge never thought she'd see the day she taught Gale how to walk. Of course, Gale remembered as well as always, but his leg had either forgotten or was incapable. Hour after hour they spent in the shockingly white hospital corridors, shuffling slowly back and forth, with the assistance of a cane Gale refused to acknowledge that he needed.

It was tiring work, and Gale was often irritable, but Madge stayed anyway. She told herself it was so she could spare the already stretched nurses from doing this tedious task, but it was really due to the fact that she couldn't bear to leave Gale out of her sights again. God knew what would happen to him the next time he escaped her watchful eye on his misadventures and anger driven quests sending him around the most treacherous parts of Panem.

Gale was strong. Gale was smart. He was resourceful, he could survive in the wild. Gale was almost invincible, as far as most people were concerned, but Madge was always watchful of his most destructive trait: his anger. This simmering rage inside him was what killed people, and what came closest to killing him. Though the hospital was safe, and no-one there was going to hurt him, his anger and frustration at the uselessness and helplessness of his situation was destroying him from the inside.

Madge pretended it didn't hurt.

And that was the story of Madge learning that things went downwards, even when you were sure they were going to get better.

* * *

Madge walked into the kitchen of their small flat. Gale had left the hospital a week earlier, and they had finally gotten their own place, hoping to heal. Gale had gotten the constantly debated paperwork back out. He was sitting down with one hand pressed to his temple, and the other gripping the pen in a trembling hand.

"This is stupid," Madge said in frustration, "Gale, why would you go back goddamn it!" Gale tutted, "Because I want to."

"But why Gale?" Madge asked angrily, "Why would you go back to war? Fight again? You almost died, and now you want to go back!"

"Because it's where I belong," Gale explained, slamming the pen down onto the table.

"You don't belong with a bunch of men murdering other men!" Madge said shrilly.

"But I do Madge! I belong with men fighting for their freedoms! I belong with the rebels, who want nothing more than to kill every last one of those Capitol freaks who have been oppressing us all these years! And I know you hate them Madge, but that is exactly who I am! Which just goes to prove Madge, that you are far too good for me, and that I shouldn't be here at all. I belong with my fellow stupid, destructive men, and you belong… somewhere else!"

Madge looked at Gale with a fiery determination, "I won't let you go Gale." Gale smirked, "What are you going to do? Keep me prisoner in the apartment? Lock me in our non-existent basement?"

"No," Madge said, putting her tea-towel down, "I'm going to help you fail your medical."

* * *

Back before the rebellion, before the 74th Annual Hunger Games, before Gale, Madge had loved books. She still did, but didn't really have the time for reading anymore. But back when she was the simple mayor's daughter, quiet, with few friends, she had gone through books at an alarming pace. And once she had read about Catherine of Aragon, a queen in the far off and long dead continent of Europe. Spanish by birth, bride of England.

Catherine was rejected by her husband, King Henry VIII, after she became middle-aged and infertile. He had the nerve to ask the person who had been a faithful wife to him all those years to leave him, just so he could sleep with a younger woman, who refused to have an affair with him and accepted only marriage. That woman's name was Anne Boleyn.

Henry married his Anne. Catherine made sure it took six years though, forcing him to create his own church in order to divorce her. Until the end, she refused to be called Princess Dowager, and always signed her letter with _Quene Kateryne_, the old English version of Queen Catherine.

Henry treated Catherine with bitter cruelty She lost her whole household of maids. She was forced to give her jewels, the Queen's jewels, to Anne Boleyn. She wasn't allowed to see her precious daughter Mary anymore, who was forced to become servant to her half-sister, Anne Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth. But still, Catherine was faithful to him, right up until her lonely end.

One could say Madge fancied herself a bit of a Catherine.

And that was the story of Gale finding himself trapped in Madge's life, unable to walk out.

* * *

Just like Madge promised, Gale failed his medical exam. He never went to war again.

Growing back together for good was never going to be easy. Madge wanted a lifetime of devotion from Gale, who was still scared and overly angry under his calm exterior. But he loved her, so he stayed.

Days turned into months. They talked a lot at first, but after a while, they became more adapted to the silence. Physical actions had a lot more meaning. A kiss spoke magnitudes, and was enough communication for the whole day. Their busy schedules fitted in with the fast communications through touches and other actions. Everything became more rushed, harder, and more precious.

More love fit into less time. More memories, more words said between brushes of skin.

And that was the story of the development of Gale and Madge's relationship. Not yet grown together, but grown to a completely different level.

* * *

Two people with such troubled pasts had troubles defining what normal was, and had an even harder time achieving it. But the closest Madge and Gale would ever get to normality was the moment they were ready for marriage. It was one of those lazy summer days, full of picnics in the woods and brightly coloured icy-poles. And Gale asked Madge to marry him.

She said yes, of course. She had always wanted to stay with him, from the moment she met him. No matter how stuffed up or 'strange' their relationship had seemed, it had always been true. There had always been that one crucial factor. The need to stay.

One and a half years later, Madge gave birth to their first child. This was long after Madge had first let him take her virginity, but she wouldn't have chosen any other time for little Catherine Maysilee Hawthorne to be born. Gale told Madge that Catherine was an old-fashioned name, and Madge agreed, "She's named after someone born exactly one thousand years ago in a country that doesn't exist anymore," Madge told her husband cheerfully, as he shook his head in disbelief. Though the name was old, the determination, loyalty, obedience and downright stubborn attitude would live on forever, as Madge explained. And it did. Catherine was all of these things, and Madge started teaching her Spanish. Might as well learn the language of her namesake, and Madge needs a hobby anyway. She's not a nurse anymore.

Gale marvels at the fact that she is determined not just to teach Catherine to speak full stop, but to speak another language. Madge says, "What better way to teach myself?" Gale never does learn Spanish, and it remains the shared language of the two girls in the family, as Madge goes on to give birth to two boys after Catherine, who aren't always kind to the girls.

In the end, the two are happy, and the two of them are in love. There's no better ending for two such fated people.

And that was the story of staying.

**Really hope you enjoyed that. I hope you liked the length of the story, I think I wrapped it up well, and I hope you agree. Thank you for reading, you are all incredible, and I love writing and hearing your opinions. -L**


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